Before the pandemic properly kicked off in Europe (so much to say on the topic but I'm going to give you a bit of corona-virus respite in this blog!) I luckily managed to safely get myself and my sister to Spain (and back!) and have a wonderful time back in February.
In this blog I'm going to tell you some of our highlights from sunny Sevilla. We spent a lovely long week in Seville, giving us enough time to soak up the sunshine, see all the sights and eat all of the tapas (I mean, we had a LOT) .
Before heading to Seville, me being a lover of all-things-organisation, I did a lot of research and planning, and found a lot of articles describing Seville as quite expensive - something that most definitely is untrue! We found a bountiful selection of affordable tapas restaurants, I thoroughly enjoyed copious cheap beers and we even found an affordable (not to mention gorgeous) airbnb to stay in.
So, based on our trip, here are some of our Seville highlights and recommendations.
Tapas
Tapas is my ideal cuisine - being able to eat many various small dishes rather than picking one big one means I get to try more food, and the more food the better. I like to describe it as 'picky' food, i.e. food you pick at, which as a foodie is my dream. Tapas in Seville cost around 2-4€ per dish. My favourite tapa is patatas bravas, possibly quite predictably, however it was surprisingly difficult to come by in Seville.
A few dishes that are typical of the area that we enjoyed include the Serranito (a mini sandwich with grilled meat, cured ham and grilled green pepper), the Pringá (a mini sandwich filled with slow cooked meat), Espinacas con garbanzos (spinach and chickpeas), and of course you have got to try the iberico ham! As well as these we had a lot of other typical spanish dishes - croquettas, paella and tortilla.
A couple of our favourite tapas bars were Duo Tapas (for a more fancy sit-down experience), and El Patio (a nice, affordable chain that we visited a few times).
Churros
Yes, you guessed it - more food. If you know me, you'd know that my life revolves around food, and when I travel I eat - a lot, and well. Churros are a must if you are visiting Spain. There were plenty of places selling churros y chocolate around Seville for around 2-3€, however bare in mind that they are a breakfast food, so most places will stop selling them past midday! My sister really enjoyed having churros for breakfast, but I prefer savoury breakfasts, so enjoyed tostada con tomate (toast with tomato...), instead.
Las Setas de Sevilla
This building is a must-see in Seville, and if you can, do pay the small fee to go on top of it and walk along it as the views are amazing and admiring the structure is a must. Las Setas, aka the mushroom, or the parasol, is one of the world's largest wooden structures. There are also many lovely bars and places to get tapas around the structure and it is very close to the city's other key attractions - the Cathedral and the Real Alcázar.
Plaza de España
This is probably one of the most popular and touristy sights of Seville but has to go on this list because it deserves to be as popular as it is - it is stunning. The Plaza de España is located within a (also beautiful) park, and was originally designed to host the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair, displaying Spain's history in industry and technology.
The plaza, which has a mini river running around it, is surrounded by alcoves displaying each of the Spanish provinces, as well as bridges representing the four ancient kingdoms of Spain. Running all the way around the plaza are buildings now used for various government activities. It is gorgeous and we spent a good couple hours there, taking many many photos and even renting out a little boat (hard work, but worth it for the gram! hehe). You can even watch plenty of free live flamenco around the plaza.
La Carboneria
This was recommended to us by a local, and I couldn't recommend it more! La Carboneria is a bar at which you can watch free, authentic flamenco every night, with a cheap cocktail or beer in hand. We went a couple of times, as we enjoyed it so much, except you must be prepared for it to be extremely busy, and the flamenco can be quite difficult to see due to the crowd and the layout of the bar, but I think that just adds to the atmosphere. In addition, there is a painter who attends La Carboneria every night, painting the dancers into gorgeous bookmarks and posters - don't be afraid to go and speak to him!
Outdoor Art Exhibition
Every Sunday morning, in the square outside the Museum of Fine Arts, local artists display and sell their art. It was one probably our favourite activities of our trip - the sun was out, birds chirping, and it was great to soak up so much local talent. We even had a great chat with one of the artists, who, in Spanish (a challenge!) talked us through all of his art, style and materials. Many offer a student discount too, which is a fab idea.
Of course, it won't be possible to visit this Spanish haven for a while, and travelling anywhere at all in the foreseeable future may be impossible, so I hope this blog brought at least a little sunshine to your day, and we can all look forward to the day we can travel again! I would love to hear about your past/recent/future travel highlights, as we can at least reflect on better and more certain times, and look forward to a sunnier future.
Keep an eye out for more blogs from me soon.
Wash your hands, stay safe, and subscribe and like this post!
M x
p.s. Please follow my sister on instagram for more photography from our holiday, as well as more amazing photography in general (much better than some of mine on this blog, for sure!).
